Under the Influence, Part 2: Jesus Saenz
This could be the start of something. Yesterday I posted a photo of Mark Strobel's stack of Bibles purchased "under the Bertrand influence," and that prompted another frequent commenter, Jesus Saenz, to chime in with the following:
"I first ran across your blog while looking for information on the 1599 Geneva Bible from Tolle Legge. Since then I have bought a Deluxe Heirloom Reference ESV calfskin, Cambridge Pitt Minion NASB goatskin, Cambridge Cameo KJV Morocco leather, R L Allan Reference ESV Highland goatskin, In Touch Ministries Wide Margin NASB calfskin, Single Column Reference ESV calfskin, Thinline Cordovan ESV calfskin."
After I overcame my astonishment at the length of this list, I begged for a photo, and now I'm happy to share it with you. The beautiful thing is, I'm guessing no one here has picked up so many high-end editions so quickly, and that means whenever friends or a significant other insist you have a Bible-buying problem, you can now point to Jesus Saenz's stack of goodies. Your expenses will seem moderate in comparison!
From top to bottom, here's the run down.
(1) Cambridge Pitt Minion NASB goatskin (2) Cambridge Cameo KJV Morocco (3) Lockman Wide Margin NASB blue calfskin (4) Crossway Deluxe Heirloom ESV calfskin (5) Crossway Single Column Reference ESV calfskin (6) R L Allan Reference ESV Highland goatskin (7) Crossway Thinline Cordovan ESV calfskin (8) Lockman Wide Margin NASB black calfskin
I'm especially taken by that Cambridge bound in morocco, second from the top. Of course, Jesus, now that you have black covered, it's time to add a little bit of red -- and build on the brown, too.
So here's an open invitation. If you'd like to snap a photo of your Bibles to share with the group, I'll be happy to post it. I can't be held responsible, however, for any spending frenzies that result -- especially during the holiday season. Thanks for sharing the collection with us, Jesus!
J. Mark Bertrand is a novelist and pastor whose writing on Bible design has helped spark a publishing revolution. Mark is the author of Rethinking Worldview: Learning to Think, Live, and Speak in This World (Crossway, 2007), as well as the novels Back on Murder, Pattern of Wounds, and Nothing to Hide—described as a “series worth getting attached to” (Christianity Today) by “a major crime fiction talent” (Weekly Standard) in the vein of Michael Connelly, Ian Rankin, and Henning Mankell.
Mark has a BA in English Literature from Union University, an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Houston, and an M.Div. from Heidelberg Theological Seminary. Through his influential Bible Design Blog, Mark has championed a new generation of readable Bibles. He is a founding member of the steering committee of the Society of Bible Craftsmanship, and chairs the Society’s Award Committee. His work was featured in the November 2021 issue of FaithLife’s Bible Study Magazine.
Mark also serves on the board of Worldview Academy, where he has been a member of the faculty of theology since 2003. Since 2017, he has been an ordained teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America. He and his wife Laurie life in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.